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I have six particular 40-day-old white pumpkin plants. I need to multiply these particular plants as rapidly as possible -- It's at least another month or two before I can extract viable seeds.

Am I better off utilizing the bury-the-vine method? I am a bit concerned about what stage (how large) a pumpkin plant should be at before burying portions.

There is also the method that involves cutting the plant, dipping in root hormone, and placing in a greenhouse environment to supposedly promote new root development. I believe this method could multiple faster if it worked, but I'm hesitant to waste the effort on this if the bury-the-vine method is more suitable.

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Brian Webster
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  • Why didn't you want to plant more seeds instead (if it's not a private matter)? It probably would have been easier. – Brōtsyorfuzthrāx Oct 14 '19 at 22:15
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    @Shule This particular contest was setup where each participant was given a bag of seeds. They were to plant the seeds and see how many pumpkins could be grown. The timing was such that I could not afford to wait for generation 1's seeds to become viable for generation 2 (gen-2 would not have produced fruit until after the expiration of the contest). Thus, if I wanted a generation 2 to produce pumpkins, I was forced to clone relatively-young generation-1 plants. – Brian Webster Oct 17 '19 at 20:10

1 Answers1

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Here's one description online: How to Clone Pumpkins off the Main Vine, that might help.

TECHNIQUES AND METHODS: Successful cloning off the main vines is as simple as burying the vine in some soil, then waiting 7-10 days to cut the new plant from the main plant. Many growers bury vines during the season to give their plant an added root system which anchors and feeds the main plant. To make pumpkin clones indoors {or out}, the same basic principal is applied. Once the original pumpkin begins growing over the container and has a vine long enough which can be placed in another pot, all the grower must do is provide that vine a rooting medium for the plant to do what is natural for it; sprout roots. Bury the entire vine 1/2 inch below the soils surface in the new pot. This is soon to be a new plant, of the same origin as the original plant. Place a heating pad below the pot the clone is in, and keep head on low or medium. The clone pot should be well watered, but not overly saturated. It is helpful to use vitamin B-1, Superthrive plant hormones, and Shultz 2-7-7{with micronutrients} Cactus Plus. Using similar fertilizers will work as well. Both the host pot and clone pot should then be put underneath a shop light which is kept on 24 hours a day. Check the clone plant after a couple days, and keep the soil moist in that pot. The host pot needs little to no water during this period. By stressing the host plant this way, the clone becomes less dependent on the roots at the base of the host plant, and is encouraged to sprout it's own roots. After 7-10 days if you have given the new vine what it need to grow, the host plat can be cut away. Cut the old vine away from the clone as close to the soil as possible. Larger leaves which were buried earlier should be cut at this time. This will allow the new plant to not have to care for so many leaves initially, and allow the plant to root without stressing. You now have a cloned pumpkin plant which has the same genetic makeup as the host plant it was cut from! This process can be done again and again and again.

Also see Cloning Pumpkins for how-to steps.

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